* requires a 'key disc' to run (Best Hits,
SoT, 6th+Core, etc.) (Multiple key discs can be used to unlock
hidden 'bonus edits', when used in the proper order. See below
for more details on what hidden bonus edits, (if any) are
available in each game.)

Which controller is best for beatmania on home
consoles?

Your best bet is the official beatmania IIDX controller. It's
durable, backward compatible, and an official Konami product, so
you know you're getting the best. Online stores, such as Yesasia.com, NCSX or other online sites that
sell import games should carry the controller. it's also
reversible:

OR, if you're really looking for the true
arcade-to-home experience, then Konamistyle.com has your
number:

It too, is reversible:

And, you can order light-up keys if you request them. However,
they won't ship outside Japan, so you'll have to wait and see if
any of the online importers will be picking up this
heavenly-looking controller...Fortunately Konamistyle.com received
around 4500 orders for the controller, so they're apparently
going to go through with production of what is easily the king of
beatmania controllers...

As for the others, like the 5 key ASCII model, and the 3rd
party knockoffs, well I don't know... I've tried playing 6th+Core
with the ASCII controller... instead of a turntable, imagine
trying to play with a really large doorknob ;P (since the
turntable's just a large circle of plastic :( ) Just stick with
the Konami IIDX controller if you can, and you'll be fine, even
on 5 key.

beatmania IIDX:

Does the IIDX controller function with the original 5
key beatmanias for PSOne?

Yes! since it doesn't require the use of the USB ports like
the PPP or DM controllers do, it's fully backward compatible with
all 5-key versions (look at beatmania 6th+Core Remix for
example, which has special configurations for the IIDX
controller)

On the IIDX controller, what's the
extension for?

Originally, that connector was designed for a home conversion
of beatmania III, for plugging in a drummania-style effector
footpedal. But unfortunately, there hasn't been a release of
beatmania III yet, so there really isn't much use for it. (but if
you do plug the drummania footpedal into it, it'll switch
effectors during the game with each press.Much more convienent
than moving your hand from the keys to fumble with the effector
during the game.)

What's the correct pronunciation
of 'IIDX'?

"2-D-X" since the "II" is roman numeral
2... and it's displayed as "2DX" in the LED below the
screen, as well. ("2 deluxe" is also acceptable
too, since the subtitle in the main game is "The next
generation beatmania deluxe version" Some of the other games
in the series have subtitles too 'Trip the Deep', 'Jewel Shower',
etc. )

Why do some generic videos only say "beatmania
II"?

See above for part of the answer. Because of the game's
'deluxe' cabinet, they decided to add the DX part to the title.
But why it doesn't appear in the game aside from the logo
appearances, I don't know. My guess is they originally designed a
'normal' beatmania II cabinet and a 'deluxe' model cabinet...

Brief explanation of the game:

'beatmania' is a music game series that was
released in Japan by Konami in the late 90's. The basic controls
are a piano-esque keyboard with black and white keys, and a
record-player style turntable. There are three versions:

beatmania

beatmania IIDX

beatmania III

beatmania is the game
that started the entire bemani craze in Japan and leaked over to
here in the US, across the pond in the UK, (where rave and
euro-style music are pretty big there) and even in Korea (where
the series is known as beatstage, strangely enough.) The
bad news is Konami recently announced the last game in the
series, beatmania: THE FINAL, being the 8th game in the
main series (not counting the other bm's, like GOTTA, DCT, SoT,
or others)

beatmania IIDX is
probably the most popular out of the three main games. This may
be due in part to the large flashy cabinet the game comes in
(which features both a HDTV (with a wide screen) and a stand-on
subwoofer to drive the audio-visual experience even further.)
IIDX also features a DVD player built-in for videos that play
during the game. Ranging from the good, to the bad, and the
"interesting" (it's Japanese, what do you expect? ;)
videos, each player is sure to find at least one favorite video.
As far as gameplay goes, it features two sets of 7 keys (4 white
3 black) and a turntable on the outer edges...(In other words
2P's side is opposite of 1P's side.)

beatmania III, on the
other hand, is possibly the least known of the three games. heck,
even I have never played it... but it sounds really neat. it
features 5 keys, a turntable, and a effector footpedal. There is
also a mode that incorporates the footpedal as an additional key
during the game, which sounds like an interesting
experience.Other additions include a headphone jack for each
player, and a 3.5" disk drive to save your high scores and
effector settings to disk.

HipHopMania is KofA's attempt to
bring the beatmania series stateside. However the HHM machines
seem to be more scarce over here. The game itself is in English,
but the cabinets still retain some of the Japanese
instructions/warnings (though they do have english too)!
Unfortunately since the 5-key original series is coming to a
close in Japan with the release of beatmania: THE FINAL,
it doesn't look like beatmania will ever get the chance to hit
big in the US... not with any new machines, anyway.

Explanation of all of the different modes:

Free - Allows you to play two
songs for free, without penalty.

High Speed - Causes the notes to
descend faster (the tradeoff is that they're easier to
read)

Light 7 - (IIDX Only) An easier
version of regular 7-key mode.

Double Play - Play using both
sets of keys and turntables.

Auto-Scratch - Just as the name
implies, the computer takes over the turntable, allowing
the player to focus their attention on the keys

Hidden - Hides the notes 1/3 of
the way down.

Sudden - Reveals the notes 1/3 of
the way down.

Stealth - Hides the notes
completely.

Internet Ranking - play a
specific set of songs (known as 'courses') and then
submit your score via password to Konami
AM's Japanese site.This feature
was also recently introduced to Konami's own Dance
Dance Revolution series in DDRMAX 2: 7th mix, with
its own courses..

Songlists and Anti-mod Codes:

(These are for the PSOne/PS2 home versions. Anti-mod codes
require the use of a Gameshark or similar device to overrude the
anti-mod protection. Some titles I was unable to find english
translations for, so I either tried babel-fishing them or just
left them with [Japanese] )